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A Look At The North Shore Connector Project

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Aug 31, 2007 8:40 pm US/Eastern

A Look At The North Shore Connector Project

WEB EXTRA:  Tunnel Boring Machine In Action

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― It's one of the most controversial and expensive construction projects in our region's history.

After years of debate, work on a $400 million "T" extension to the North Shore is now underway and for the first time, Port Authority is allowing cameras down below for an up close look at the progress.

From above, it looks like open heart surgery. But as crews burrow 50 feet below pavement, dirt and utility pipes, the heart of the North Shore Connector is now taking shape around an engineering marvel called the tunnel boring machine – TBM for short.

"It had to come in pieces. It was assembled in Germany, assembled there, tested, and then they took it back apart, shipped it, and it took about 50 trucks to get it on site," Keith Wargo, project manager, said.

He expects it will take about two months to get it in the ground.

The drill, which is 200 feet long, will dig out the twin tunnels under the Allegheny River. But drilling isn't its only job.

"The process is the machine cuts through the earth, and we need to extract the material out of the earth that we mine to our separation plant, it's set to the side, and it's hauled out," explains Wargo.

While the Port Authority is aiming for a 2011 opening, Wargo says the focus is on drilling, which is expected to start in November.

As for the closures downtown on Stanwix Street and on the North Side, there is some good news for drivers.

"I think this is probably the worst of it, hopefully," Wargo said. "Knock on wood."

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.